AFD Group reaffirms its commitment alongside Ukraine and, more broadly, in the European Neighborhood

By traveling to Odessa, Kyiv, and Lviv, Rémy Rioux first wished to express his solidarity with the Ukrainian people and signal AFD Group's readiness to actively prepare for the country's reconstruction.
The Group's action in Ukraine is already tangible in Odessa, with the REHAB 1 program implemented by Expertise France with financial support from AFD to improve access to mental health care and rehabilitation for civilians and wounded veterans, in close coordination with the ongoing efforts around the future Superhumans Center. Rémy Rioux met with medical teams from municipal hospitals, visited sites supported by REHAB 1, and was received by Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov.

In Kyiv, the CEO, accompanied by the Special Envoy of the President of the French Republic for Aid and Reconstruction of Ukraine, Mr. Pierre Heilbronn, and the French Ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Gaël Veyssiere, met with Finance Minister Mr. Marchenko, Minister of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development Mr. Kuleba, and Mr. Yuriy Katsion, Economic Advisor to President Zelensky, to discuss funding priorities for reconstruction, decentralization, and support for European convergence.

A highlight of this visit was the celebration of the first anniversary of AFD Group's Kyiv office, located on Maidan Square, bringing together Ukrainian authorities, Ukrainian, European, and multilateral public development banks, civil society representatives, and all the Group's teams active on the ground. While Expertise France has been present in Ukraine for 20 years, and Proparco since 2019 supporting SMEs, AFD's mandate was confirmed during President Zelensky's visit to France in 2024. This anniversary event provided an opportunity to celebrate the collective work accomplished since AFD's establishment in Kyiv, in the context of a full-scale war, and to reaffirm the Group's lasting commitment alongside the Ukrainian people.

"Our action here is a very concrete way of investing in peace," said Rémy Rioux. "Every project supported by AFD Group in Ukraine is a commitment, through development action, serving reconstruction, resilience, and the country's European future."

Finally, in Lviv, the CEO signed with Mayor Andrii Sadovyy the Group's first grant agreement in Ukraine, for an amount of 5 million euros. This urban mobility project aims to improve access to the Unbroken rehabilitation center and the northern districts of the city, where over 150,000 internally displaced persons have settled. This project is part of a broader Team Europe cooperation dynamic, with Germany's GIZ, the European Commission, and the EBRD also supporting health infrastructure and social housing in this area. "This first AFD financing in Lviv paves the way for future direct loans to the municipality, enabling local actors to contribute, at their level, to their country's European integration process," emphasized Rémy Rioux.

Supporting a concrete and inclusive European pathway

In Ukraine, as in all EU candidate countries, AFD Group mobilizes its full range of tools (sovereign and non-sovereign financing, technical cooperation, private sector support) to accompany structural reforms and convergence with European standards. Beyond the emergency response, the aim is to build strong partnerships serving lasting peace and ambitious European integration.

A consolidated strategic partnership in Moldova

Before visiting Ukraine, Rémy Rioux traveled to Chisinau, where he met with Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Deputy Prime Minister Cristina Gherasimov, and Minister of Energy Dorin Junghietu. These discussions confirmed AFD Group's position - as Moldova's leading bilateral partner - as a key actor in implementing the European Growth Plan (€1.9 billion for 2025-2027). The INSPIREE program, the Group's first investment operation in Moldova, co-financed with Germany's KfW, will strengthen the country's energy security through the thermal renovation of public buildings.

A fully mobilized Group in the European Neighborhood

Through these commitments in Ukraine and Moldova, AFD Group, in coordination with Team France and Team Europe, fully asserts its contribution to supporting its partners' European trajectories, in the service of regional stability, reconstruction, and inclusive, sustainable development.